Diamond In the Rough
by tiffanyrebecca7
Summary: Rebecca Dillon and Daryl Dixon were the absolute most unlikely pair. Even before the apocalypse, they were drawn to each other like magnets. Now that they have to fight for their lives, the stakes are even higher. With the world against them, can they find a way to make it through together? Daryl/OC
1. Before the Storm

Bars had never been Rebecca's favorite scene. They were loud, crowded, and full of men who couldn't take a hint. Yet, somehow, she found herself sitting in one, drinking a beer. The small town of Fontana, Georgia didn't have much in the way of night life, so basically everyone swarmed to Jake's on Friday nights.

She took a long drink, before looking around the bar at the other patrons. She had been dragged out by her neighbor Emily, for a night out. Of course, upon their arrival, Emily was pulled away by a group of people. This left Rebecca sitting alone at the bar, a drink in her hand, and a bored expression on her face. Her eyes finally landed on the girl across the room, who was flirting with a group of guys.

Becca could only sigh and roll her eyes. It didn't look like she would be hanging out with Emily after all. She turned back around and looked at the bar in front of her. This was going to be a long night.

Daryl Dixon was bored to say the least. Merle had dragged him out for a night at the bar but disappeared almost as soon as they arrived. He looked around, searching for a person who looked at least semi-interesting enough to talk to. His eyes fell on a dark-haired woman sitting alone at the bar, drinking a beer. She was alone, that is, until a very drunk man staggered towards her and invaded her personal space. She appeared quite calm about the entire situation until he decided that he wanted to put his hand just a few inches too close to her ass.

Daryl watched as her jaw clenched, and she smacked the man's arm. He watched her face contort in anger as the man said something she obviously didn't like. The man gripped her arm and got closer, causing the girl to pale exponentially. Normally, Daryl wouldn't have interfered, but something stirred inside him. Daryl shot across the bar, shoving through people to get to the bar.

He reached the pair in record time, putting a hand on the man's shoulder. "Hey. You wanna get yer hand offa her?" he grunted. The girl's wide eyes shot up and looked at him in surprise.

The man kept his hand on her arm but turned to look at Daryl. "What? This yer bitch 'r somehtin'?" he slurred drunkenly.

Daryl sneered at the man. "Matter of fact, yeah. She is. So why don't you back the hell off, so I don't beat yer stupid ass form here 'till kingdom come." He threatened.

The man simply glared at Daryl before releasing the woman and shoving past him. "Dumb bitch ain't even that hot." He grumbled.

Daryl looked at the woman, who was obviously a bit shaken. "You alrigh'?" he asked, cautiously approaching her.

She nodded, looking up at him as she rubbed her arm. "Yeah. I'm alright. Thank you for that. He was really…"

"An asshole." Daryl finished for her when she trailed off.

She chuckled quietly. "Yeah. An asshole. I'm Rebecca, by the way. Rebecca Dillon. But most people just call me Becca." She said, holding a hand out to shake.

Daryl shook it and nodded. "Daryl Dixon." He said shortly.

"You here by yourself? Not to pry, but, I was just curious. My…friend, ditched me. So now I'm alone." She said awkwardly.

Daryl couldn't help but chuckle quietly at her. "Yeah, I'm alone. My brother is here somewhere, but I got ditched like an ugly prom date the second we got here." He explained.

"Well, if you're interested, we could be alone together?" she suggested. She scrunched her eyebrows and shook her head. "That probably sounded really weird. I just meant- "

"I gotcha. I'll sit with ya." Daryl said, shaking his head in amusement. He sat beside her and ordered two beers for them. When they arrived, he slid one her way.

"So, Dixon, tell me about yourself."

One Year Later

Daryl watched from the couch as Becca came into the living area from the kitchen, holding a beer in either hand. She handed hi one of the beers as she sat down beside him. Becca had rented a small two-bedroom house and had offered Daryl to stay with her. He turned down the offer, deciding to stick with Merle. It wasn't too far from where his house was, so he was over there quite a bit.

Becca had met his brother, Merle. She wasn't particularly fond of the man, especially when the first thing he called her was and "Uppity Bitch". She strongly disliked the way he treated Daryl, and the things he allowed to happen to him. Following one near-death experience in his twenties, Daryl gradually came to view himself as an unimportant individual who held no value or purpose in life.

When he met that dark haired girl in that crowded bar, he never dreamed that they would be where they were now. She had been everything he wasn't- educated, personable, loveable. It took quite some time, but she finally wore him down, and they had become close quickly.

Now, Becca and Daryl sat comfortably on the couch, watching a cartoon. Becca leaned into Daryl's side, putting her head on his shoulder. He placed an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. Daryl had never thought that he would be in a situation that was so…domestic. But there he sat with the woman he had come to love, drinking a beer, and watching some goofy cartoon movie.

Everything seemed…right. Peaceful, even. As they sat in comfortable silence, A loud noise erupted from the television. It was an emergency broadcast.

"This is an emergency service announcement broadcasting countrywide. A state of emergency has been declared. There have been reports of attacks and riots across the country. If citizens chose to stay in their homes, they are urged to be near their radio and await further instructions. Moving into the city of Charlotte, Atlanta, or Orlando may become necessary in order to insure the safety of all citizens."

The message repeated on a loop as Becca looked up at Daryl. "What do we do?" she asked timidly.

He took the beer from her hand and put it on the side table, then stood up. "You go pack yer clothes. Only the necessities, Bex. Clothes, a few toiletries, anything that'll fit in a duffel bag. I'll get food and weapons. Put it in yer car, and we'll get over ta Merle."

Becca cringed at the mention of his brother.

"I know ya don't like him, but- "Daryl started.

"But he's family. I know. Go on, get started. I'll go pack yer stuff. Get ready to go." She insisted, standing up and nodding.

He pulled her close and kissed her forehead. "Fifteen minutes, then we head out."

Becca nodded and rushed to her room to pack. What was going on?


	2. Bad News

Daryl walked in silence as he tracked the deer he had seen earlier. He had been tracking the damn thing for miles, and he was ready to get back to camp. Becca walked equally as silent behind him, carrying her compound bow and the string of squirrels they had collected. They had been out since before sunrise that morning, and now at mid-day, the sun was beating down on them. Daryl brought her out any time he left. He didn't trust anyone else at that camp to watch her.

He looked back to make sure she was still there and saw her watching the ground as she walked. "You okay back there Bex?" he asked.

She looked up at him with a small smile and nodded. "Yeah. Of course. You?" she responded, catching up to him a bit.

"Yeah. Just makin' sure you were." He said, shrugging.

Becca smiled and reached out to squeeze his hand. "I'm alright. Just a lil' hot."

"Yeah ya are." He smirked.

Becca's eyes grew wide as she looked up at him. "Oh my God, Daryl Dixon." She said, laughing quietly.

The snap of a branch caused her laughter to die, and she looked towards the area the sound came from. A small deer appeared in front of them, about fifty feet away. She raised her bow and aimed, ready to finally shoot the animal.

As the arrow left her bow, Becca watch it plant itself in the deer, followed by a bolt from Daryl's cross bow. The deer took off running, causing Becca to sigh. "Shit." She lowered her weapon and looked at Daryl.

"C'mon. We'll find it again." He assured her, leading the way.

The pair tracked the deer in silence until a scream pierced the air. Becca looked at Daryl with wide eyes.

They both took off in the direction of where the scream came, all but forgetting about the deer

Daryl Dixon emerged from the forest first, seeing most of the group gathered around the deer and a walker. Becca came out after them, seeing the same scene. Daryl was practically steaming that the walker had gotten to the animal before they had.

"Oh, Jesus." Dale said upon seeing the couple.

"Son of a bitch. That's our deer! Look at it. All gnawed on by this… filthy, disease-bearing, motherless poxy bastard!" He yelled, kicking the carcass of the walker.

"Daryl, honey, calm down. That's not gonna help anything." Becca said, placing a hand on his arm.

"We've been tracking this deer for miles." Daryl sneered at the walker. "Gonna drag it back to camp, cook us up some venison. What do you think? Do you think we can cut around this chewed up part right here?" he asked no one in particular.

"I would not risk that." Shane said, huffing at the pair.

Daryl sighed. "That's a damn shame. Got some squirrel… about a dozen or so. That'll have to do."

Suddenly, the head of the walker started to move its teeth.

"Oh god." Amy whispered.

"Come on, people. What the hell?" Becca griped, pulling out her knife and stabbing the head.

"It's gotta be the brain. Don't y'all know nothing?" Daryl snapped, watching as Becca cleaned her knife on the grass. He retrieved their arrows and helped her up.

The group slowly trudged back to the camp, Daryl and Becca in the back. She nudged him lightly. "Hey, it's ok. We'll get the next one." She said, hoping to calm him a bit.

He grumbled a little but nodded. "Next time." He agreed.

They entered the camp, and Becca handed the string of squirrels to Daryl and took his cross bow.

"Merle! Merle! Get your ugly ass out here! I got us some squirrel! Let's stew 'em up." He yelled.

Becca looked around the camp and noticed that Merle had not appeared to greet them.

"Daryl, just slow up a bit. I need to talk to you." Shane said, cautiously approaching the man.

"About what?" Daryl countered.

"About Merle. There was a… There was a problem in Atlanta."

"Is he… dead?" Becca asked, fearing the worst.

"We're not sure." Shane said honestly.

"He either is or he ain't!" Daryl said, his temper rising.

"No easy way to say this, so I'll just say it." Said a man whom Daryl and Becca had never seen before.

"Who are you?"

"Rick Grimes."

"Rick grimes, you got something you want to tell me?"

"Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there."

"Hold on," Becca said, stepping up to the man, standing between him and Daryl, "You mean to tell us that you handcuffed his brother to a roof and you left him there?!"

"Yeah."

Enraged, Daryl threw the dead squirrels at Rick who ducked as Shane threw Daryl backwards.

T-Dog emerged from the forest carrying firewood. He dropped the logs and joined the scuffle, restraining Becca as she lunged for Shane. He saw Daryl pull out a weapon and yelled to warn the others. "Hey! Watch the knife!"

"Get offa me!" Becca growled, struggling against the man.

Rick disarmed Daryl, and Shane locked the man in a sleeper hold.

"Okay. Okay." Shane tried to calm him.

"You'd best let me go!" Daryl yelled.

"Nah, I think it's better if I don't." Shane retorted.

"Choke hold's illegal." Daryl grunted.

"You can file a complaint. Come on, man. We'll keep this up all day."

"I'd like to have a calm discussion on this topic. Do you think we can manage that? Do you think we can manage that?" Rick asked, squatting in front of Daryl.

"Mmm. Yeah." Daryl finally conceded.

Shane let him go, and T-Dog released Becca, who shot him a look. She walked over to Daryl and stood as close to him as possible. Didn't like or appreciate being handled.

"What I did was not on a whim. Your brother does not work and play well with others." Rick tried explaining.

Becca scoffed and looked at Dale and Shane. "See? This shit is exactly why I told you to let me go with them. But instead, you said that they could "handle it". Does this look like they fucking handled it Deputy Dipshit?" she cursed at the dark-haired man.

She turned her attention to Rick. "And you. What the hell were you thinking? You left him up there alone, with no way to defend himself."

"It's not Rick's fault. I had the key. I dropped it." T-Dog said, coming to the man's aid.

"You couldn't pick it up?" Daryl asked.

"Well, I dropped it in a drain."

"If it's supposed to make me feel better, it don't."

"Well, maybe this will. Look, I chained the door to the roof… So, the geeks couldn't get at him… With a padlock. It's gotta count for something."

"Hell, with all y'all!" Daryl yelled. "Just tell me where he is so that I can go get him."

"He'll show you. Isn't that right?" Lori urged.

"I'm going back." Rick said, decidedly.

Lori stormed off into the RV.

Becca looked up at Daryl and sighed. It looked like they were going into the city. Goddamn Dixons were gonna be the death of her.

 **AN:**

 **Hey, everyone! It's Tiff here. I just wanted to say hi, and thank you for reading my story! I hope you're enjoying it, and I would love to get some feedback. (Please be gentle...) Again, thank you, and hope you like it!**


	3. Come Back To Me

"I told ya, I don't want ya comin' with us." Daryl said as he and Rebecca got ready to get a few hours of sleep.

"Daryl, you know I could help. I'm fast, I'm smart, and even if something does happen, I've got you watching my back." She reminded him. "I don't understand why you don't want me to come with you. I mean, I should have gone on the first run." She reminded him.

"You're not going because it ain't safe. You need to stay here and watch the camp. Shane's been a loaded gun the past little bit, and I don't trust him to keep an eye on the camp. Need ya to stay and watch everything for me. Keep these chuckleheads in line." He said, trying to convince her.

She sighed, running a hand through her dirty hair. "Alright. Alright, fine. I'll stay. But next time, I'm coming with you." She countered.

"We'll see." He said, pulling her over to their little pile of sleeping bags. "Now come get some sleep. Gotta be up in a few hours for watch. Like ta get at least a little sleep next to my woman." He grumbled.

Becca laughed quietly and rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay. Lay down ya big lug." She said, laying down beside him. She adjusted herself so that she was facing him and looked into his eyes. "Be careful tomorrow, okay? You and Merle are the only family I've got left in this god-forsaken world. I can't lose you." She said, kissing him gently. "I love you."

Daryl kissed her back, holding her close. "Me, too." He said quietly.

She curled into his chest, basking in his warmth as his heartbeat lulled her to sleep.

The next morning, Becca woke up to an empty tent. She sighed, then got up and quickly pulled on a pair of shorts, along with one of Daryl's sleeveless flannels. She unzipped the tent and walked out, squinting to see who all was at the camp. Upon seeing Daryl coming down from the RV, she jogged over and smiled. "Morning. I was hoping I would catch you guys before you left."

"Getting ready to head out. Just gotta get all our stuff together. Need somethin'?" he asked.

"Nah. Just wanted to see you off. Tell you bye."

"Oh. Well, just talked to Dale, and you're gonna help him out today. Keep watch and all that. He'll be busy keepin' an eye out for us." He explained.

"Alright. Sounds good."

"Daryl!" Rick called, signaling that it was time to leave.

"Be careful. Come back in one piece." Becca said, kissing him quickly, before he ran to join the group that was piling in the vehicle.

Becca joined Dale on top of the RV, watching as the group loaded into the car and drove away.

"He's a smart man. He'll bring everyone back, including Merle." He assured the girl. She looked at him with a small smile and nodded. She knew he would be back. She just hoped everyone else did, too.

A few hours passed, and Dale and Becca still stood on top of the RV, her keeping watch for Walkers while he kept an eye out for the men. They had been sitting in silence, exchanging the occasional sentence or two. Becca had always liked Dale, and had found the older man to be somewhat of a paternal presence.

She squinted her eyes and brought the binoculars up to help her see. Jim was over in the bushes digging holes. He must have been at it for quite a while, because he had dug several separate holes. "Hey, Dale, somethin's up with Jim." She informed, handing the binoculars over and pointing to the area Jim was.

Dale looked through the binoculars for a moment, before lowering them. "Oh, dear. I better get Shane. Can you stay up here on lookout?" He asked, handing the binoculars back to her and turning towards the ladder.

She nodded her agreement and walked back to the edge of the RV to watch the scene from afar. She saw Amy and Andrea come back out of the woods with tons of fish on a string. There was no doubt in her mind that they would have another good dinner. A small exchange happened before Dale approached them.

"Hey, Dale. When's the last time you oiled those line reels? They are a disgrace." Andrea asked. Her happy demeanor fell as she noticed that Dale didn't seem as happy as he usually was.

"I, uh, I don't want to alarm anyone, but we may have a bit of a problem." Dale said nervously. Shane came up to the group, and Dale pointed over to Jim who was still digging holes.

Becca watched as they approached the man, cautiously coming up behind him. Shane spoke to Jim in a tone that she couldn't quite hear, but she could tell but their body language that things were getting tense. She watched nervously as Shane tried to take the shovel away. Jim shoved Shane away and then threatened to hit him with it. Shane tackled Jim to the ground, which was followed by Jim yelling something about how Shane was gonna beat him like he did Ed. They ended up tying Jim to a tree, so he couldn't hurt himself or anyone else, and bringing him water.

Becca watched Andrea enter the RV, closely followed by Dale. Becca tried her best to ignore the muffled conversation going on inside the RV, choosing instead to keep a close eye on the camp. She sat with her legs crossed, her eyes scanning the group as they went about their tasks.


	4. Nightmare

Becca had been keeping an eye on the camp's visible borders, and was thankful that no walkers had staggered near. The sun was beginning to set, and with it, the temperature dropped. She was regretting not having a jacket or something with her as gooseflesh rippled across her skin.

"Hey, Dixon, would you care to give us a hand with the fish?" Shane's voice called, causing her to roll her eyes.

Everyone called her Dixon, even though she and Daryl were far from married.

"Yeah, no problem. I'll be down in a sec." She replied, standing up and adjusting her clothes.

Dale made his way up the ladder and gave the woman a warm smile as he took his position to watch over the camp. She returned the smile, then descended the ladder. Carol walked over to her, quickly followed by Carl and Sophia who both wrapped her in a hug.

Becca couldn't help but laugh quietly and hug them back. "C'mon, guys. Let's go clean and cook some fish." She looked at Carol, offering the woman a smile as they walked towards the firepit.

Shane was already there, gathering the fish into a few piles. Becca took a seat on one of the logs and got to work cleaning the fish, occasionally leaning over to show Carol a way that might be easier for her to do something. The older woman was secretly thrilled to see the girl interact with the others so much. Most of Rebecca's time was spent with the Dixon boys, so it was nice to see her around the camp and interacting with others.

Before too long, the fish were clean and being cooked over the fire. Becca gave a rather violent shiver, and stood. "Can you let me know when they get back? I'm gonna go to the tent." She said, looking from Carol to Shane. They both gave her a nod, and she thanked them before walking to the pair of tents that she, Daryl, and Merle shared. She entered the one that was slightly larger, and closed the flap behind her. She ruffled through her clothes, thrilled when she finally came across a light gray hoodie. She pulled it on and laid on the pile of sleeping bags with her well-worn copy of The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe. She must have fallen asleep while reading, because she was startled out of her sleep by the sound of the tent flap opening. She grabbed the knife she kept under her pillow and sat up, prepared to attack. She relaxed and put the knife away when she saw Sophia, slowly entering the tent.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." The young girl said quietly.

"No,no,hon. It's fine. Are they back?" Becca asked hopefully.

"No. But mom and Miss Lori said the fish is ready, and wanted me to come see if you wanted to eat with us."

Becca covered a yawn and smiled kindly. "Sure thing." She grabbed her knives and the sheath she kept around her thigh, buckling it right below the hem of her shorts. She always kept extra weapons on her at night. Call it paranoia, but she was always afraid that something would happen and she wouldn't be prepared.

She stepped out of the tent, looking down in mild surprise as Sophia grabbed her hand and let her to the fire pit where everyone else was already seated.

She gave everyone an awkward wave before taking a seat besise Sophia and Carol. "Thanks, guys."

"Hey now, you're just as much a part of this group as anyone else is." Jacqui assured the woman.

"You and Daryl do so much for this group." Lori added.

It didn't escape Becca that she had left out Merle, but she decided to leave that subject there for now. Instead, she helped Carol pass around plates of food to everyone.

The group enjoyed a surprisingly pleasant fish dinner, talking and laughing.

Morales looked over at Dale and smirked. "I've got to ask you, man. It's been driving me crazy."

"What?" The older man asked.

"That watch."

"What's wrong with my watch?"

"I see you every day, the same time, winding that thing like a village priest saying mass."

"I've wondered this myself."Jacqui admitted.

"I'm missing the point." Dale chuckled.

"Well, I mean unless I've misread the signs, the world seems to have come to an end. At least hit a speed bump for a good long while. I don't think that time is exactly a thing we've gotta worry about too much. I mean, the Walkers arent exactly gonna leave us alone just because we know it's Christmas or something." Becca snickered.

"But there's you every day winding that stupid watch." Morales concluded.

"Time… it's important to keep track, isn't it? The days at least. Don't you think, Andrea? Back me up here. I like… I like what, um, a father said to son when he gave him a watch that had been handed down through generations. He said, "I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire, which will fit your individual needs no better than it did mine or my father's before me; I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you may forget it for a moment now and then and not spend all of your breath trying to conquer it."." Dale quoted.

Amy practically snorted. "You are so weird." She said, causing everyone to laugh.

"It's not me. It's Faulkner. William Faulkner. Maybe my bad paraphrasing."

Amy got up from the campfire, causing Andrea to look up at her.

"Where are you going?" The elder sister inquired, to which the younger replied,

"I have to pee. Jeez, you try to be discreet around here…"

Everyone laughed, and Becca leaned back against the log, finally relaxing a bit. She tried not to let her mind wander to where the guys could be, but she couldn't seem to quit worrying. What on earth was taking them so long?

Amy came out of the RV, shaking Becca from her thoughts. "We're out of toilet paper?" The girl called. When Amy stepped out, a Walker stepped right up to her and took a bite out of her arm. She screamed in pain. Andrea witnessed it and screamed. Everyone began to scatter, going for weapons. Her bow was too far away, so the knives around her thigh would have to suffice.

Shane grabbed his shotgun and shot several Walkers with it. Jim picked up a baseball bat and crushed a Walker's skull with it, while Becca threw a knive at a Walker that came a little to close to Shane. Everyone took cover and Dale picked up his rifle. Becca fought through the Walkers, watching helplessly as people were attacked and bitten. Morales grabbed a baseball bat and killed one of the Walkers with it. Becca made her way over to him, slashing and killing every Walker within arms reach. Morales continue to kill two more Walkers that were trying to get at his family.

"Come on, y'all! Work your way up here!" Shane called from near the RV before shooting another Walker.

"Make your way to the Winnebago!c Rebecca cried out as she stabbed another walker in the head. She took off in a dead sprint towards the RV as soon as she saw a clear path. She climbed up to the top, throwing her last two daggers at Walkers that had gotten too close to Morales' family as they ran.

Rick, T-Dog, Daryl, and Glenn arrived just in time to kill a few more of the Walkers to save their group. Rick shot five of the Walkers, Daryl killed four, two with the butt of his rifle, and Glenn shot two, T-Dog shot one and killed another with the butt of his rifle.

As soon as the grounds were cleared, Rebecca practically launched herself off the RV, only to be caught by Daryl, who wrapped her tightly in a hug. "Christ almighty, ya'll have got some fantastic timing." She muttered into his shoulder. He set her down, allowing her to place her hands on his cheeks and looked up at him. "Is he...?"

"Nah. Dumb, tough sumbitch sawed his own damn hand off. Was gone before we got there." He explained.

She swallowed thickly, and nodded.

Andrea began to sob, drawing Becca's attention. She didn't know Amy extremely well, but her loss hurt nonetheless. Carl also began to cry when he saw that Amy was dead.

"Amy! Amy! Amy!" Andrea cried in agony.

As everyone else got rounded back up, Jim turned away to see Amy. "I remember my dream now, why I dug the holes."

They all looked at the camp with several dead Walkers on the ground, as well as some of their own. It wasn't a dream, it was a nightmare.


End file.
